Iced Cappuccino: What is it and How to Make It
Here’s a refreshing espresso drink that all coffee lovers should try: the Iced Cappuccino! Combine espresso and a splash of milk with ice. This is one of our favorite homemade coffee drinks yet! Here’s how to make an iced cappuccino that’s better than you’ve ever had!
Great iced cappuccino is a delight available to discerning coffee lovers, right in the comfort of your own homes. You’ll want a Son of a Barista coffee machine, and of course your favorite Son of a Barista coffee pod. Then you’ll use one of our Organic Scandinavian Milk pods, or our Almond Milk pod from Sicily, Italy, as your foundation and of course lots of ice!
What is an Iced Cappuccino?
An iced cappuccino is a coffee drink with espresso, milk, ice, and optional sweetener. It’s very similar to an iced latte, which makes sense since a cappuccino vs latte are incredibly similar. Let’s have a look at the difference below!
Iced Cappuccino vs. Iced Latte. What’s the Difference?
Simply put, an iced cappuccino contains less milk than a latte. Both drinks start with a single or double shot of espresso, to which steamed milk is added. Iced cappuccinos are traditionally made in 160-milliliter (about 5.4-ounce) cups. Iced lattes are served in much larger cups (at least 8 ounces), meaning they contain about twice the amount of milk—or more.
Which is stronger, an iced cappuccino or iced latte?
An iced cappuccino is stronger because it has a higher ratio of espresso to milk. On the other hand, an iced latte has a higher ratio of milk to espresso, making it have a more mellow and weaker flavor overall.
What you need to make an iced cappuccino
Want to make an iced cappuccino at home? Now that we understand the difference between an iced cappuccino and an iced latte, let’s take a look at how to make an iced cappuccino in the comfort of your home!
Ingredients
- 1 Son of a Barista milk pod of your choice. Choose between Son of a Barista’s Organic Scandinavian Milk pod or Son of a Barista’s Almond Milk pod from Sicily, Italy.
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup or maple syrup
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon for garnish (optional)
How to make an Iced Cappuccino in 7 steps
Step 1
Get your coffee pod:
Get your favorite Son of a Baritsa coffee pod ready. We have 4 different kinds to choose from so you’re guaranteed to find one that’s for you!
Try our Puro coffee pod. A single origin coffee pod using only 100% Arabica from Sidamo Ethiopia. Our single sourced Ethiopian coffee has a strong aroma, thick crema and notes of chocolate.
If you want to try a blend you can try our Cremoso coffee pod. Our Son of a Barista Cremoso coffee pod is a blend of 50% Arabica from Colombia and 50% Robusta from Vietnam. Our Cremoso coffee pod is the typical blend you would sip in a bar on the streets of Italy. This blend has a delicate taste with a strong caffeine kick.
If caffeine is not what you’re looking for and only want to enjoy the taste and creaminess of a cappuccino, you can use our Son of a Barista Cremoso Decaf coffee pod. Our Son of a Barista Cremoso Decaf coffee pod is a blend of 50% Arabica from Colombia and 50% Robusta from Vietnam. This coffee pod has the same taste as our Son of a Barista Cremoso coffee pod with no caffeine.
Last but not least you can try making your iced cappuccino using our Son of a Barista Aromatico coffee pod. Aromatico is a blend of 50% Arabica from Colombia and 50% Arabica from Ethiopia. This blend is 100% Arabica from two different plantations, balanced to smooth the initial taste of Arabica while delivering the perfect after taste.
Step 2
Get your milk pod:
Get your favorite Son of a Barista milk pod ready. Either use our Son of a Barista Organic Scandinavian Milk pod or our Son of a Barista Almond Milk pod from Sicily, Italy to make your iced cappuccino.
Step 3
Prepare the cup:
You will need a cappuccino cup from which to drink your cappuccino. A proper cappuccino cup is 5.5. oz (160-milliliter). For an iced cappuccino you can also use a glass!
Add 6 to 8 ice cubes to a mixing glass and pour the espresso over the cubes. Stir to bring the temperature down. Using a spoon or strainer, strain the cooled espresso into a serving glass, leaving the ice behind (if desired, ice can be included or added later).
Pro barista tip for hot coffee drinks: Hot coffee served in cold porcelain cups offers a taste experience of inferior quality. The smaller the portion, the more important it is to use a prewarmed cup. The cold porcelain instantly takes away heat from the hot, freshly prepared coffee, reducing its temperature by up to 10°, and makes it cool faster. If you add cold cream and sugar to your espresso, and stir it with a cold spoon, the temperature falls by another 10°C, and it will be much less of a pleasure to drink. In addition, the delightful coffee aroma is inhibited from developing and the coffee will have a less intense fragrance than if served in a prewarmed cup. A warm cup will also retain the crema for longer.
Step 4
Pull a shot of espresso:
Place your favorite coffee pod in your Son of a Barista coffee machine and press either the small button for a single shot of espresso or the big button for a double shot of espresso.
Step 5
Steam the milk:
Place your favorite milk pod or almond milk pod in your Son of a Barista coffee machine. Hold the button down until the milk and foam make up 2/3 of the espresso already in your cup.
Step 6
Enjoy:
Lean back and pretend that you are in Italy! Serve your iced cappuccino immediately and enjoy a delicious Son of a Barista iced cappuccino in your own home!
The right equipment to make Cappuccino
Perhaps one of the reasons people think it’s hard to make cappuccino at home is because in North America, this frothy hot beverage has only been around for the past few decades. It wasn’t until the 1930s that Cappuccinos became really popular in the States.
In Europe, cappuccino has been around for hundreds of years, and of course the cappuccino recipe has been refined and perfected during that time. Hot cappuccino as we know it today has been around since the 1900s and was first made in Italy, after the espresso machines were invented.
Early espresso machines were extremely bulky, heavy, and expensive, so only trained professionals could use them. Over time, espresso machines became simpler to use and the design was improved and refined. Once these machines became more accessible, more and more restaurants began serving espressos, lattes and cappuccinos, at any time of day.
It’s incredibly important to have the proper machine with which to make your cappuccino. Son of a Barista’s new coffee machine is designed to satisfy the palate of the pickiest Italian. Our Made in Italy water pump pushes water at a 19 bar pressure. The perfect pressure for espresso. The water heater built in our machine is set to keep the water at a constant temperature of 93°C (199.4°F) – the exact temperature needed to extract the caffeine without ruining the coffee.
Origins of the Cappuccino
Italian friars provided the inspiration for one of the world’s most beloved coffee drinks.
The name “cappuccino” may have been inspired by the Capuchin friars, an order of Franciscan monks founded in sixteenth-century Italy. The Capuchins wore brown robes with long habits called cappucios—the ensemble resembled espresso mixed with milk.
The Capuchin friars are members of the larger Franciscan orders of monks, and their order was founded in the 16th century in Italy. They were renowned for their missionary work among the poor, as well as their dedication to extreme austerity, poverty, and simplicity.
The Austrians were the first to use the word “cappuccino” (“kapuziner” in German) to describe a coffee beverage. Kapuziner is an Austrian drink of coffee with whipped cream that made its way from Vienna coffee houses back to Italian coffee shops, where it was transformed with espresso and frothed milk upon the invention of the espresso machine.
Many of the terms for coffee drinks come to us from Italian, where they are terms of utility. Espresso comes from the Italian word that means “pressed-out,” which explains how the coffee drink is made; macchiato is short for “caffe macchiato,” which means “coffee with a spot (of milk).”
